Sycamore boys state champions ‘worked their tails off’ AD says

SYCAMORE – About 100 people packed into Sycamore High School’s gymnasium Wednesday to celebrate a historic moment: a state title for the Spartans’ boys track and field team.

Teammates, family members and Spartans supporters were still riding that high days later at a crowded pep rally. It’s a moment that should be celebrated, athletic director Chauncey Carrick said.

“These kids worked their tails off,” Carrick said. “They had to run on Friday and had to do it on Saturday, prove it again on Saturday, and they came through. I mean, they’ve been doing it all year long.”

The Spartans took the top prize Saturday in the IHSA Class 2A state meet The city hasn’t stopped celebrating since.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 20

Sycamore’s Aidan Wyzard who placed in the 200-meter dash, 100-meter dash as well as the long jump at the IHSA meet speaks during the pep rally on Tuesday June 4, 2025, at Sycamore High School after the team brought back the championship trophy. (David Toney for Shaw Local News /David Toney)

Sycamore senior sprinter Aidan Wyzard won the 200-meter dash state final. Dylan Hodges, an Illinois Wesleyan football and track recruit, won the 400.

The pair of athletes took odd routes to their individual state titles, but it was a team effort that landed the Spartans their first boys state title. The team collected 71 points, nine more than second-place East St. Louis, at the three-class state meet Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium in Charleston.

It didn’t take long for Spartans supporters to show their pride.

The team was welcomed home to Sycamore by a crowd Saturday night. Another crowd gathered Wednesday to continue the celebration.

Hodges told the crowd Wednesday night he was grateful for the support he and his teammates felt at their track and field meets throughout the season.

“I want to thank the parents for being at all the meets, especially to my mom, all four years she’s maybe been at every single race,” Hodges said. “I know that she’d be there no matter how far the drive was.”

Over the past two years, the Sycamore boys track and field team broke seven school records.

Head coach Matthew Kosecki said his team broke many school records this year, including some he didn’t think would fall.

“There’s so many ways we could talk about what this team accomplished,” Kosecki said. “There was so many meaningful performances throughout the season. We’ve had school records set early and often this year.”

Kosecki said 14 members of the team qualified for 11 state final events, giving the team a shot at the championship.

That opportunity was one they capitalized on.

Four days removed from the school’s first track and field team title, Kosecki said the 2025 Spartans will always be known as state champions.

“We had everybody in it together,” Kosecki said. “It was such a team moment and team event, that as a collective group, they were able to do what we’ve never done in our team’s history before, which was ... win a team championship.”